Monday, October 29, 2012

I slowly but surely dabbled deeper & deeper into the occult and by the time I was 10 I was communicating with "spirits " via an aged ouija board. By the time I was 12 I was reading cards and astrological signs.... watching scary movies and not sleeping for weeks... at one point just going into the bathroom to wash my hands was terrifying as I could envision freddie kruger grabbing my hands with those hands of his. By the time I was 16 I was waist deep in wicca... doing everything I could to learn the art.

and at 25.
As a practicing wiccan.
I led a youth group.

completely void of the true salvation that is ONLY found in Jesus Christ.

And that December in Kentucky... as God showed Himself to me & I repented of my sin... little did I know the journey He alone would take me on... one wrought with the struggle of submission, of not only repentance but also of deep conviction.

Now .... you might be out there groaning and thinking... is she for real? My harmless halloween fun in no way even resembles this...

But if you do choose to practice this holiday.... because it's "all just for fun",

let me just ask you a few questions....
Does your all in good fun dull your childs senses to good & evil?
Don't answer this one too fast as your answer may even build the foundation they put into their faith one day.

If you suggest people don't know any better ... you or your children may not be able to even see the lost people around them.

Now I am NOT the Christian that locks her door and shuts out the light and pretend that the day does not happen.

It happens.

And honestly there are real ramification that as 5 dressing up I did not understand... or at 10 I did not even remotely comprehend... and as I dove deeper and deeper with each passing year... it never occurred to me how very lost I was.

May I suggest to you if you are a believer in Christ..... to light up your house from the inside out... buy the biggest candy bars you can afford.... make invitations to your church and hand them out & SHARE the Gospel to any that will hear it. They are coming to YOUR DOOR! They will text their friends and tell EVERYONE you have the biggest candy bars in town. BLOW your candy budget & buy full size bars if you can.

If even just ONE person visits your church & accepts Jesus as their Lord... all Heaven will rejoice!

Here are a handful of facts about the origins of Halloween

by J. Kerby Anderson

Many in our secular society believe Halloween is nothing more
than a harmless festival that allows kids to collect candy. But
is it? Its origins lie deeply rooted in the occult, and Christians
should stay away

Here are ten reasons why

1. October 31st has long been known as "The Festival
of the Dead." The Celtic tribes and their priests the Druids
celebrated this day as a marker for the change from life to death.

2. Halloween today is performed usually by adherents of witchcraft
who use the night for their rituals. Witches celebrate Halloween
as the "Feast of Samhain," the first feast of the witchcraft
year. Being a festival of the dead, Halloween is a time when
witches attempt to communicate with the dead through various
forms of divination.

3. Christians should not be involved with occultic practice
or divination. Note God's command against divination in Deuteronomy
18.

4. Occultists believe Halloween is a time of transition between
life and death. Some occult practitioners practiced divination
and believed you could learn the secrets of life and wisdom by
Iying on a grave and listening to the messages from the long-departed.

5. Occultists also taught that spirits and ghosts left the
grave during this night and would seek out warmth in their previous
homes. Villagers, fearful of the possibility of being visited
by the ghosts of past occupants, would dress up in costumes to
scare the spirits on their way. They would also leave food and
other treats at their door to appease the spirits so they would
not destroy their homes or crops but instead move on down the
road. That is the real reason why kids dress up in costumes today
and go door-to-door seeking treats.

6. Occultists also would try to scare away the spirits by
carving a scary face into a pumpkin. This horrible visage would
hopefully move the spirit on to another home or village and spare
that home from destruction. Sometimes the villagers would light
a candle and place it within the pumpkin and use it as a lantern
(hence the name, Jack-o-Lantern). This is the origin of carving
pumpkins at Halloween.

7. In some witchcraft covens, the closing ritual includes
eating an apple or engaging in fertility rites. In the Bible
(Genesis 3), eating a piece of fruit brought sin and death into
the world. In witchcraft, eating an apple is symbolic of bringing
life. The practice of bobbing for apples brings together two
pagan traditions: divination and the fertility ritual.

8. Schools are removing any religious significance from Christmas
(often called winter break) and Easter (spring break). Isn't
it ironic that most public schools still celebrate Halloween
even though it has occultic origins?

9. Participating in Halloween gives sanction to a holiday
that promotes witches, divination, haunted houses, and other
occultic practices.

About the Author

Kerby Anderson
is the president of Probe Ministries International. He received
his B.S. from Oregon State University, M.F.S. from Yale University,
and M.A. from Georgetown University. He is the author of several
books, including Genetic Engineering, Origin Science, Living
Ethically in the 90s, Signs of Warning, Signs of Hope, and
Moral Dilemmas. He also served as general editor for Marriage,
Family and Sexuality.
He is a nationally syndicated columnist whose
editorials have appeared in the Dallas Morning News, the
Miami Herald, the San Jose Mercury, and the Houston
Post.
He is the host of "Probe," and frequently
serves as guest host on "Point of View" (USA Radio
Network). He can be reached via e-mail at kerby@probe.org.

What is Probe?

Probe Ministries is a non-profit corporation
whose mission is to reclaim the primacy of Christian thought
and values in Western culture through media, education, and literature.
In seeking to accomplish this mission, Probe provides perspective
on the integration of the academic disciplines and historic Christianity.
In addition, Probe acts as a clearing house, communicating
the results of its research to the church and society at large.
Further information about Probe's materials and ministry may
be obtained by writing to:

Finally there are MANY scriptures that spoke to my heart regarding this... these are just a few.

Deuteronomy 11:16 Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,And His ears are open to their prayers;But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17

14 Do
not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship
has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with
darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you[a] are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will dwell in themAnd walk among them.I will be their God,And they shall be My people.”[b]

17 Therefore

“Come out from among themAnd be separate, says the Lord.Do not touch what is unclean,And I will receive you.”

John 3:19-21(NKJV)

19 And
this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and
men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Lastly.Understand that a person or a families desire to NOT follow this holiday is a conviction by the Lord. Not everyone will share this conviction. There are still many believers even that will follow and choose to participate in this holiday... and people that do not follow God will not, in any capacity understand the choice not to participate.... in fact they may be mortified that You and your family don't. That is ok! But also realize you need to show the love of Christ and find ways to share the knowledge that you have and share the GOOD NEWS of Christ with everyone you meet... irregardless of the cost. You may be mocked. or told you are robbing your children of childhood fun. But remember this Scripture.....Romans 12:99 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

or even grips us so tightly around the throat that we cannot even take a single breath.

sometimes.

we see it as an obstacle.

other times it is a mountain to climb.

or worse has no end in sight.

But why?

Why is it that fear...
of the unknown or known variety can seize us up?

honestly. isn't it easy peasy?

I.have. no. idea.

As a Christian... I read my Bible. I even KNOW that I walk through no circumstance alone. ever.
Jesus holds me..
carries me even
when times are too heavy to bear. s
I even know there are 365 reference to 'DO NOT FEAR' in the Bible.
and yet.
somehow.
that doesn't stop us.

and it comes in all shapes and sizes...
but not one of the feelings of fears is any less important than another.

Isaiah 41:10Fear you not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I
will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with
the right hand of my righteousness.

and while I know the TRUTH in that scripture....
I tend to say... "yes Lord, but...."
There are a dozen little things in my life...
money's tight. school with the kids isn't always easy peasy. someone doesn't like me. I feel like I often don't have a direct purpose in ministry. Frank in college at home all the time is hard. blah...blah blah....

right?

I mean. honestly we have it easy.

we are healthy. have some income ( even if it is tight), have a house. hot and cold running water. food in the cupboards... a car to drive...

so why do I become so fearful.. uptight and ungrateful?

The other day as we prayed before dinner.... and then as the kids began to complain about the dinner... I said ..." wow! really? you Thank God for the food one minute and almost in the very next breath complain about what He has provided!"

Simple.

Yet it strikes me.

That all too often I do the very same thing.

God gives us an opportunity... we are gripped with fear so we do not act.

God provides the house.... and we always want more.

God makes the gas in the car go as far as it needed to and yet we always want to travel somewhere other than here.